Middle Tennessee State University Athletics
Photo by: Nathan Wallach/Athletic Communications
Blue Raiders doing what they can to keep their edge
4/21/2020 5:00:00 PM | Football
MURFREESBORO, Tenn. – Nolensville High School is a mere five minutes from the home of Crews Holt, and it has become the new practice facility for Middle Tennessee's rising senior place-kicker.
Holt's family lives in Arrington, Tennessee. The close proximity to Nolensville High has enabled him to stay in rhythm and in somewhat of a routine during quarantine created by concerns related to COVID-19.
It has also served as a time for reflection with his dad, Alan.
"I will go to Nolensville High School twice a week and get my kicking in," Holt said. "My dad and I go there together. Growing up, he would shag balls for me, so it's kind of like being back in the old days of high school. That part has been pretty cool."
Unlike some positions, Holt and fellow specialists have somewhat of a benefit in that they can practice their craft without teammates.
"We definitely have an advantage in our position, for sure," said Holt, who connected on 11 of his 14 field goal attempts last season. "We can go out and work by ourselves. I am not sure when this (isolation) is going to end, so I'm trying not to overdo it or go out too much but, at the same time, I'm trying to stay steady and keep my game up."
Holt, like his Blue Raider teammates, is having to find makeshift ways of maintaining an edge from afar until football returns to some sense of normalcy.
For offensive lineman Marcus Greer, it has been resorting to using old weights from his high school days. He also has relied on former high school teammates to help one another stay in shape.
"I have some buddies from high school who, like myself, have been fortunate to play Division I college football," said Greer, a rising redshirt sophomore from St. Louis. "We will meet up at the local football field or the city park and work. We keep our distance, but we compete with lifting, running, just pushing one another to keep that competitive edge. I've also dusted off the old weights in storage and made the most of those."
Greer also utilizes family members to his benefit.
"There are some drills you can do, and one way I do drills is getting in the living room, the kitchen or basement, and I have my brother with me," said Greer, who earned a spot on the Conference USA All-Freshman team last season. "He will point and we work on going in certain directions. There's still a lot you can do if you want to put effort into it. During this time, I've been able to slow things down and work more on my technique."
There really is no substitute to what running back Brad Anderson misses most.
"I sure do miss my teammates and coaches," he said. "I miss it tremendously, but now is the time everyone should be focusing on what's really important in life."
Anderson has also looked at this situation as a "blessing in disguise."
"A big thing is being able to get my body healthy and use this time to get that done," the rising senior said. "Don't get me wrong, I want football back as soon as possible, but having family time means a lot to me. That's something we don't get a lot."
Anderson said he's focused a great deal on speed training while making the most of what tools he does have.
"I've been tackling my conditioning and working hard on that," he said. "With less weights available, I've been taking on more of the speed and conditioning. I have found some time to do field work and use the weights I do have to the best of my ability."
Defensive end Jordan Ferguson has been itching to get on the field after missing the entire 2019 season with a knee injury suffered two days before the season opener. The rising redshirt junior said Blue Raider coaches have been keeping players on point, and it is up to individuals to be accountable.
"Every week, our coaches send us group messages," Ferguson said. "They really stress stretching and being in shape. You are going to lose some strength during this time, but it is not as difficult to get strength back as it is being in shape. Conditioning is so important. It's on us to report back in the best shape possible to take that off of the coaches."
Ferguson said players send workout videos to one another for motivation and accountability.
"We check in with each other every day to make sure we are all working," he said. "We can also set up our own drills like we do in practice to maintain technique.
"I feel really good. I have been doing weekly workouts during this entire time. I have tried to keep the same consistency as if I was at school. It is really on the person. You can take advantage of this or not."
Greer said the offensive coaches also have utilized technology to assist players while away.
"Our coaches help us a lot with Zoom meetings and conversations," he said. "A lot of football is physical, but the big thing we are focusing on now is mental. Every Tuesday and Thursday, we look over plays, discuss understanding the system, how we run our offense and what we want to get out of it. We also look at what we do well but also what we didn't do as well so we can make those improvements moving forward."
It may not be the most ideal situation for football players across the country, but the Blue Raiders are finding ways to make the most of their time away from the gridiron.
Holt's family lives in Arrington, Tennessee. The close proximity to Nolensville High has enabled him to stay in rhythm and in somewhat of a routine during quarantine created by concerns related to COVID-19.
It has also served as a time for reflection with his dad, Alan.
"I will go to Nolensville High School twice a week and get my kicking in," Holt said. "My dad and I go there together. Growing up, he would shag balls for me, so it's kind of like being back in the old days of high school. That part has been pretty cool."
Unlike some positions, Holt and fellow specialists have somewhat of a benefit in that they can practice their craft without teammates.
"We definitely have an advantage in our position, for sure," said Holt, who connected on 11 of his 14 field goal attempts last season. "We can go out and work by ourselves. I am not sure when this (isolation) is going to end, so I'm trying not to overdo it or go out too much but, at the same time, I'm trying to stay steady and keep my game up."
Holt, like his Blue Raider teammates, is having to find makeshift ways of maintaining an edge from afar until football returns to some sense of normalcy.
For offensive lineman Marcus Greer, it has been resorting to using old weights from his high school days. He also has relied on former high school teammates to help one another stay in shape.
"I have some buddies from high school who, like myself, have been fortunate to play Division I college football," said Greer, a rising redshirt sophomore from St. Louis. "We will meet up at the local football field or the city park and work. We keep our distance, but we compete with lifting, running, just pushing one another to keep that competitive edge. I've also dusted off the old weights in storage and made the most of those."
Greer also utilizes family members to his benefit.
"There are some drills you can do, and one way I do drills is getting in the living room, the kitchen or basement, and I have my brother with me," said Greer, who earned a spot on the Conference USA All-Freshman team last season. "He will point and we work on going in certain directions. There's still a lot you can do if you want to put effort into it. During this time, I've been able to slow things down and work more on my technique."
There really is no substitute to what running back Brad Anderson misses most.
"I sure do miss my teammates and coaches," he said. "I miss it tremendously, but now is the time everyone should be focusing on what's really important in life."
Anderson has also looked at this situation as a "blessing in disguise."
"A big thing is being able to get my body healthy and use this time to get that done," the rising senior said. "Don't get me wrong, I want football back as soon as possible, but having family time means a lot to me. That's something we don't get a lot."
Anderson said he's focused a great deal on speed training while making the most of what tools he does have.
"I've been tackling my conditioning and working hard on that," he said. "With less weights available, I've been taking on more of the speed and conditioning. I have found some time to do field work and use the weights I do have to the best of my ability."
Defensive end Jordan Ferguson has been itching to get on the field after missing the entire 2019 season with a knee injury suffered two days before the season opener. The rising redshirt junior said Blue Raider coaches have been keeping players on point, and it is up to individuals to be accountable.
"Every week, our coaches send us group messages," Ferguson said. "They really stress stretching and being in shape. You are going to lose some strength during this time, but it is not as difficult to get strength back as it is being in shape. Conditioning is so important. It's on us to report back in the best shape possible to take that off of the coaches."
Ferguson said players send workout videos to one another for motivation and accountability.
"We check in with each other every day to make sure we are all working," he said. "We can also set up our own drills like we do in practice to maintain technique.
"I feel really good. I have been doing weekly workouts during this entire time. I have tried to keep the same consistency as if I was at school. It is really on the person. You can take advantage of this or not."
Greer said the offensive coaches also have utilized technology to assist players while away.
"Our coaches help us a lot with Zoom meetings and conversations," he said. "A lot of football is physical, but the big thing we are focusing on now is mental. Every Tuesday and Thursday, we look over plays, discuss understanding the system, how we run our offense and what we want to get out of it. We also look at what we do well but also what we didn't do as well so we can make those improvements moving forward."
It may not be the most ideal situation for football players across the country, but the Blue Raiders are finding ways to make the most of their time away from the gridiron.
Players Mentioned
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